


Until the World Is Turned to Ash

by kimizomi, lilyweiss



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Eli is a useful lesbian, Established Relationship, F/F, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-05-12 11:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19228339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimizomi/pseuds/kimizomi, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyweiss/pseuds/lilyweiss
Summary: Eli had promised to come back from her business trip in Okinawa, which was going to be an anniversary surprise for Nozomi. The plan soon comes to a halt when she suddenly finds herself waking up in an abandoned hospital alone, with no clue as to what has happened to the now-decimated barren land with people who aren't really, people.





	1. Where am I?

**Author's Note:**

> lily: yo minna! Me and my dear friend decided to write a zombie au this time. I hope you all enjoy it. (I love twd/twdg btw so I can't help but be inspired).
> 
> kim: ahh, working again with lily-san (kotoumi god) again, and its not a crack fic this time oho. but who knows, anything can happen when we get too passionate and imaginative in our thought process :p i hope you like this collab fic :>

_‘’I promise I’ll be back home as soon as I finish my work in Okinawa.’’_

_‘’I don’t want to be separated from you so long, Elichi.’’_

_Her trembling hand propped on the blonde’s shoulder, eyes anguished. In that moment as she left off in a fierce determination, the blonde’s vision got slightly blurry and she felt an excruciating pain as if part of her was disjointed from her body. Her wife strolled forward to the light line formed between the crimson sky and sea._

_‘’It’s your choice. You’ll suffer agony.’’_

_The storm began to loom over the horizon where her wife was standing, then everything blacked out as she smelled something dissimilar._

The reek of blood swirled around the silent room which snapped Eli’s mind to open her eyes after a long time. The red ceiling definitely didn’t belong to their house, she noted. Her vision was still getting used to looking around, but something was preventing her from doing this action. Her body jolted resulting in her shout out as her hands tried in vain to stop the muscle contracture but the pain only grew worse. She eventually realised that she hadn’t moved her body for a long time and it became daunting. But what she saw downward was more like a bone-chilling moment of her life.

Various kinds of cables around her body were plunged into her joint areas. A malfunctioning oxygen mask was enveloped around her mouth and her legs were tied to the sides of the bed she had woken up in. The serum tagged on the iron hanger was empty, the screen that would show her body values were pitch dark and everything was out of proportion from her point of view.

‘’W...wha..t happen...ed?’’ She mumbled out as soon as she chucked out the mask. The mask didn’t seem to be the only reason why she couldn’t talk: Her throat was bone dry.

She quickly took the needles out from her body even if she knew the pain was real, and soon untwisted the ropes by her legs. Standing up, she deliberately swung her legs to pacify the tingling sensation her body was kept under. After several moments, she tried the same for her arms, extending them from one side to another in each breath.

She stood upright but that hastily came to a halt as her legs still gave out. In the way of her second attempt she remembered a memory about her wife.

_‘’Nee, will you still hold my hand when I grow older and am unable to walk by myself?’’_

_‘’We’ll be each other’s arms and legs Nozomi, till death do us apart.’’_

Eli stopped for a moment and touched her face. The dampness around the corner of her eyes brought her back to life. Yes. She knew Nozomi wouldn’t leave her alone to death in this room and she knew something definitely didn’t belong in the right frame. She forged her courage and stood up without losing her balance this time. Her bare feet felt the cold marble floor and the broken pieces of glass that almost cut her foot.

The fear surged within her as she set her sights on the red-tinged, exfoliated wall that had many scratches and a word disorderly written on it.

[ RUN ]

She couldn’t get a solid evidence as to how this mess happened. No one was in charge? Apparently this place was a patient’s room and she was somehow brought to be taken care of here. But she was tied up and there was no food to eat. Maybe she was left to death?

The questions were beginning to take up in her head as she ruminated on it more. Such a headache. She just walked to the door and swung it open but it was only left ajar. Pushing the door as powerful as she could manage to, something fell off on the front that easily gave her a place to come out from the gap.

‘’What the heck was th-’’

Eli’s words were caught up in her throat once she saw a lifeless body on the ground, though, she wasn't sure due to the fairly dark hospital aisle. In the corner of the aisle there was a slight light blinking toward her. Without giving much thought, she recklessly made her way to the light.

The bulbs were frequently flashing on and off provided to enhance her field of vision. While she was beginning to see more clear, the number of lifeless bodies swarmed all over. The rotting smell permeated the air was unbearable, eyes swimming with tears. She wanted to throw up.

‘’What the heck is going on here?’’ She said to herself, then was stopped by a hand tugged on her ankle.

‘’Oh Mister! You alright?’’

Eli’s face contorted into a smile once she finally saw a motion. She tried to help the average size man who was just making weird noises.

‘’Mister, do you know what’s going on?’’

No answer. Something felt off.

The peculiar man began to groan irritably, and none of the things that were coming out from his mouth were words that could be deciphered. Cautiously, Eli peered closely at the man’s facial features. His neck was constantly tilted to the side, his mouth hanging wide open. His skin was a bit pale--greenish, even. This was an unnatural look for someone, and Eli decided to stay cautious, ignoring him eventually. She took a few steps forward, until the groaning from behind her began to intensify, and she turned behind, only to see the man starting to amble towards her. He had a dead expression, but there was still something menacing about it and that’s when Eli realised--he might not even be a human being. She has had her fair share of the supernatural thanks to Nozomi constantly trying to scare her--all in the name of love though, so it might have been absurd, but not completely a fool to think that the thing could have been somewhat of a zombie. Eli took a huge gulp of breath, before steadying herself and walking slowly to the door in front of her. If she made any huge movements, the thing could start to become aggressive, so she didn’t want to rush, even though her heart was palpitating quickly.

Eli was slow and steady, as she approached the door. With trembling hands, she reached out to the knob, turning it cautiously. The door made a squeaking sound as it opened, and this triggered another groan from the thing behind her. She froze up in her spot, as a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. How she wished Nozomi was here. She always felt safe around her wife. Eli shook her head to herself. This was no time to have any wishful thinking. If she wanted Nozomi, she should try to at least survive on her own first. With that, she held her breath and opened the door quickly, slamming it shut as she made it to the other side. At the same time, the pounding of the door became apparent, and Eli figured that the zombie must have been triggered by the noise. Whatever is was, she made it to the outside of the hospital. There was no time to waste however, as the zombie might push down the door with its constant pounding sooner or later. As such, Eli began to drift further away from the hospital and into the barren environment.

She was out of breath in the way she sped up so she quickly detected a place where she could get a rest a bit. It seemed like a wasteland considering there weren’t such a kind of creatures like she saw before, and it was neat. Four blocks separated from the main building were blocked by the cars and fences that enclosured the area so it turned into a small shelter as Eli thought. She leaned on the fence that was closest to her, as her hands supported her body on the knees.

She only saw the mint-green eyes with no pupils in every idle body as if they were being manipulated by someone else. Most of those kinds fell on their knees to eat rotten inner organs scattered over the ground, in every corner.

The next round of questions was lingered on her mind, but the timing was wrong.

Before she could get a real rest this time, several zombies emerged in her vision. Eli flinched back in a terrified expression. She tried running away but, much to her dismay, she stumbled midway through and fell flat on the ground.

‘’Fuck.’’

As she made more noises, the herd grew more in the back. The snake-like intestines dangling in the dirt, they staggered toward her.

‘ _Are they drawn to noises?_ ’ she thought for a second, her legs pushing her body backwards at the same time. She couldn’t get up due to the severe pain that caused her to whine. She felt the deep wound on her foot, and it was bleeding. She began to panic as the low growling moans became more palpable in her ear. Her back faced the fence which indicated the dead end to her. She felt each gulp as if it was her last as zombies entrapped her.

One was so close to biting, as its teeth was about to make contact with the flesh. Eli kicked it in the face repeatedly but another came to attack. Its head was mangled, dangling close to her. With bated breath, her hand was hopelessly searching for something to fight back, and in that moment someone tossed her an iron stick.

‘’Stick it into the face!’’ Someone shouted beneath, then Eli ferociously stabbed it in its face before it could bite her foot. The blood squirted around the area, and Eli wished she could unsee such a gruesome sight. 

*CLINK CLANK* *CLINK CLANK*

The metal sounds clashing each other momentarily, the herd disbanded to wend its way to the source of the sound. Few of them were still approaching where she was stuck and unable to move forward, but what Eli saw changed everything as in a survival sense.

A car without a driver was driven into them which got jammed over the mass of bodies, that gave Eli a chance to flee. The car caught on fire which attracted the herd’s attention eventually more. After a failed attempt at getting up by her own, a curvy girl with a mask promptly helped her by the shoulders and hobbled far away from the ruined place.

After three blocks away, the girl threw off the sheets that she covered her own car. She bent down to run the car by wiring up some cables in the ignition, meanwhile Eli was beat. She pointed her finger to the seat next to her as she managed to run the car. Eli’s eyes half-lidded as though telling her spirit temporarily dislocated from her body, her eyes settled on it for a second but she slumped in without giving much thought further.

‘’Thank you.’’

‘’I guess you don’t remember me when I have a mask on my face?’’ said the girl who took off her mask and gave her an antibiotic tissue to Eli's hand from the copilot storage box.

\--


	2. First Anniversary Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eli couldn't put her finger on what happened to her at first, then she begins to remember. Meanwhile, another mysterious figure appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> muse, music, star- oh wait wrong fic. Ahem, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well^^

Eli’s sleepy eyes fluttered open once the mask was taken off and the mildly-short red hair flew in the air.

‘’M-Maki?!’’

‘’Is that the way you’re thanking me?’’ Maki said proudly and winked at her, she then started the engine and went away from that place to somewhere else she marked on her map.

‘’I-I mean I have no idea what’s going on. People become brainless just like in those horror movies or the stories Nozomi told me before and and… when I woke up… I just couldn't wrap my mind around what had happened. Arisa, Nozomi, mother, father, Rin, Hanayo, Nico-’’

Maki bit her lower lip at the mention of the last name, as she lightly stepped on the brake to gear down.

‘’I’ll try to answer your questions, but I want you to answer mines first because I’ve lost contact with almost everyone except Arisa.’’

‘’Arisa!’’ Eli jolted up. Of course, she was worried.

‘’First of all, tell me what happened. Why were you there? If I hadn’t passed by that road for medical supplies, I couldn’t have saved you.’’

Eli hugged her knees as the last unfortunate of events finally rushed back to her mind.

_‘’Yes... Yes, Yes, Nozomi. I’m coming back as soon as I finish my job here… I… I love you too.’’ Eli hung up her phone and she turned her eyes back on the road she’s been driving. Their anniversary. Much to Nozomi’s surprise, it’s going to be alluring and romantic. This oh-so business trip was Eli’s excuse to book hotel behind Nozomi’s back. She wouldn’t guess, she couldn’t by now.._

_Eli was so cheerful, even she hummed a song to get in the mood while tapping on the steering wheel simultaneously. Driving through the forest where her phone’s signal would drop from time to time, she finally reached the seaside. Her body was fatigued after two hours of driving, but she couldn’t dwell on when to take a break when her phone vibrated with a certain name on the screen._

_ <Sonoda Umi> _

_She opened her phone but her ears didn’t take the shaky voice from the other side of the line good. It wasn’t a good call after all._

_‘’ELI! ELI, WHERE ARE YOU?! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE, ELI. I CAN’T FIND KOTORI, HONOKA OR NOZOMI. PLEASE ANSWER THE PHON-’’_

_The line had no service. In a panic, Eli checked her phone to call her back but her hands trembled. Waiting impatiently for another call, she looked at the road again but faced someone dangling on the road. She turned the wheel hard before the car crashed into that person, the action-reaction gave a quick 180 turn to the car which flew out of the road to the seaside. The altitude was so high that the car landed very disorderly and some parts decomposed into pieces._

_Then everything blacked out.  
_

_Her eyes squinted and scarcely saw the fire rising from the car she was upside down stuck in. Everything was whirling in a blurry scene. She saw many of_ those _were stumbling towards her way. The next thing she saw was a few people that used something to beat them up, then they took her out from the car and she growled feeling the severe pain in her head and legs._

_She opened her eyes in the hospital, then everything blacked out again.  
_

_‘’You’ll be fine.’’ A gentle voice reached her ear._

_Then blacked out._

_‘’I-I’m sorry but you seem to be turning one of them so I’m taking my precautions, sorry.’’ A husky voice was heard at that time as the doctor-seeming man tied her up in the corners of the bed._

_Then blacked out._

_‘’...’’_

_A low moan was heard from outside of the room._

_Then she woke up in hell._

After Maki heard the whole story as much as how much she remembered by now, Eli closed her eyes to sleep a tad in her seat.

_“Elicchi… Neh, Elicchi…”  
_

Eli woke up with a jolt the moment she heard Nozomi’s voice. It felt too real, as if Nozomi was just inches from her. However, she was only met with Maki’s eyes as she pulled up at a desolate driveway. 

“W-Where are we…?” Eli sat up straighter in her seat, as she rubbed at her eyes.

“Somewhere safe,” Maki looked at her cautiously. “for now.”

“Is there anyone else insid—”

Before Eli could finish her sentence, the sounds of heavy footsteps trudging on dried grass captured their attention.

“Stay low.” Maki commanded, as she pressed Eli down. Eli tried to sneak a peek from her position, but it seemed that under the darkness, it was hard to notice anything.

Eli could hear the sound of the engine turning off, and looked to her side to see Maki stealthily removing the car keys from the now-parked car.

“We’d be trapped if we continue to stay inside here. We have no choice but to go out.”

Eli nodded, wondering how the redhead had gotten so knowledgeable with this situation in just a mere few hours of so after it broke out.

The two of them slowly got out of the car, finding any branches they could arm themselves with as they approached the door to the dilapidated motel. Once Maki’s hand was inches away from the knob, the same rustling sound could be heard from a close distance again. Eli perked up her ears, trying to locate its source.

The sound of footsteps escalated into muffled groanings, and this was when Eli knew they were definitely coming from the zombies. She pointed to the door for Maki to see, in an attempt to tell her that they were going to make it in before the zombies would come for them. Thankfully, the quick-witted redhead knew exactly what Eli meant, and slowly turned open the knob.

The door released itself after Maki was done, and a gush of cold air blew past their faces as it was ajar. The sounds of the approaching zombie were even more audible this time, and the both of them knew it was time to act.

Eli lifted up three fingers, slowly counting down to 1. Once it hit 1, Eli and Maki were ready to make a quick entrance into the door, but the more intense, and sharp groan from the zombie was one that stopped them in their tracks. The groan felt like a final battlecry, as if the zombie had its “life” ended. Both Eli and Maki looked back, only to see the zombie collapsing to the ground, motionless. In the middle of his forehead was a clean arrow.

“E...Eh?” Maki murmured, befuddled by this weird scenario.

Eli then looked to see a pair of feet entering the lifeless zombie. She looked back up, only to be met with the eyes of a former friend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lily: not expecting a guess hajahjha she's the Daryl of the group convince me ow  
> kim: Is this the zombie apocalypse or are we just playing guessing games? Wanna make a guess at this next mysterious person that showed up at the end? It's kind of a giveaway this time though :>


	3. The one with a plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Had her friends all been together this whole time? Or did they miraculously find each other amidst the entire apocalyptic chaos?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lily: *grabs popcorn*  
> Kim: *grabs even more popcorn*

“Umi!” Eli found her voice coming back to her after that close shave.

“That was close.” Umi breathed out, before stepping past the impaled zombie and crossing over to where Eli and Maki were.

“We could have handled that…” Maki began to twirl her hair in between her fingers, putting on an unbothered look.

Despite the severity of the situation, Eli smiled as she noticed this small detail of Maki. It has been a while since she has seen her, but she has always known the redhead’s mannerisms and to see her put on this behaviour was something that eased her mind slightly.

“Eli, I’m so glad to see you.” Umi said, almost as if she wanted to pierce through her serious demeanour and offer her a hug.

Eli, being as observant as usual, took the first step and wrapped Umi in her arms. “I’m so glad to see you both too.” She let out a sigh. “I wish I knew what happened here.”

“Eli-chan?!” A new voice emerged, and Eli broke free from the embrace to see the door opening, revealing another familiar figure. It was her hyper and cat-like friend, Rin. Behind her was Hanayo, who walked out carefully.

The blonde was speechless for a while, as she took in the sight of the two other younger girls. Had her friends all been together this whole time? Or did they miraculously find each other amidst the entire apocalyptic chaos?

‘’I got a call from my parents in the hospital that a deadly virus has spread around the city and sick people were constantly carried to the hospital as they got bitten. Papa warned me and said I need to find someone I can depend on, move forward and find a place to hide before those brainless assholes outside come and bite. And it was his last words I heard.’’

Maki was listening in silence, as they put their shaking hands to their mouths and watched her involuntary cry in a short span of time.

Maki sniffled and wiped her tears with her sleeve. ‘’So, I got in contact with Nico-chan first. She made a plan for us to meet up in a common place. According to her plan, it’s better to keep away from crowded places like cities.’’

Umi continued, ‘’But it was so hard to find each other while everyone was unaware of the situation they were in. We tried to call each other one by one again, but the base station seemed to have destroyed by some sort of a multiple-vehicle collision on the road. We just packed up what’s needed then went out. I thought it could be easy to find our houses but the zombie herds always blocked the way so I snuck out to find any of you. The good news is I find Hanayo and Rin and met up with Nico in the promised location, Otonokizaka. Maki had already come, of course. The bad news is no track of Kotori, Nozomi, and Honoka.’’

‘’Nozomi?’’ Eli’s eyes brimmed with tears at the aforementioned girl’s name, her body reacted the same way. A chill ran down her spine.

‘’I tried to call you but the signal was so low.’’

Umi put down her backpack and took out a map to point the locations marked on the map. ‘’We enclosed the school’s surroundings from here to there and cleared the floors before they could outnumber us. It wasn’t so hard to control the situation when some of us distract and others just kill.’’

‘’It was our safe zone for a while but we wanted to know what happened to our families and everyone else nya.’’ The sadness drained through Rin, she was dejected all of sudden.

‘’Nico-chan suggested we should split into groups. She offered to go out alone to Akihabara, whereas the three of us should go in the opposite way. Maki-chan said we need medical supplies and food to survive so she was assigned to check the near hospital where you were actually located.’’ Hanayo added.

Maki placed her hand on Eli’s shoulder before she piped up, ‘’You need to know something about Arisa, Eli.’’

Eli’s pupils dilated and her mouth got dry as her breathing went quick. She knew the hopeless tone suggested in Maki’s lips was bad news.

‘’She’s gone just like our families did.’’

The sheer shock was felt in her skin, her trembling fingers tried to reach out the crystal clear sky. She then fell on her knees and buried her head, as she slammed her fists on the dirt. Her younger sister’s silhouette flashed back to her vision. The retained memories flooded back into her mind and she shot out a silent scream.


	4. Soldier game, soldiering feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eli finally gets her sh*t together. But she also realises she's not the only one dealing with a lot of worry and longing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lily: where are they? The gang needs to reunite soon or I'll riot takes out the chainsaw
> 
> Kim: At least Eli said oyasuminasai and not sayonara :p ok no more tease, everything is gonna be okay... Or not... :0

‘’I think it’s better to leave her alone right now, Maki-chan.’’ Hanayo shot her a meek look. Maki instantly nodded and left Eli in a small park crying.

As much as how upsetting to see Eli all tore up unlike her usual self, Umi thought they needed a new plan to get back to the safe zone and get a rest for a while. She placed the map on a big rock.

‘’So, we all can get back to the safe zone using this road.’’ Umi pointed the forest near a supermarket following to a dilapidated facility. ‘’Since the zombie herd is passing by the main road all the time, we can’t make it through with only five of us. And, the supermarket seems to be useful for supplies and weapons. We need more guns and bullets. I’ve my bow and arrow but it’s not helping at every time.’’

Umi took out a survival knife from her backpack and hand it over Maki. ‘’You need to fight along with us.’’

Maki grit her teeth and looked away in myriad of emotions she first-hand experienced. Her hands weren’t used for any harm, it was for helping people out and heal them. Contradicting her own nature means betrayal as a doctor. She sure handled many of them ambling towards her by outwitting them, but Umi was right. There would be time for fighting all together and when that time comes, she needs to fight like a survivor.

Maki heaved a long sigh and accepted the knife placing into the sheath that was tugged on her belt. ‘’Right now, I can’t simply put some sticks into their heads, but I can devise a plan and destroy them in that sense.’’

Umi nodded in agreement. Before she could say a word, Rin stepped into the conversation, ‘’Speaking of a plan, are we going to head out in this place sooner? Because it’s getting dark nya.’’

Umi surveyed where they were and quickly detected an abandoned place far from, which seemingly was a distorted motel. 

‘’It’s better to stay the night in that place, then hit the road in the early morning,’’ she advised in a serene tone, and packed up whatever she pulled out before. 

‘’H-How do we know it’s safe though? I-It could be dangerous!’’ Hanayo remarked as she stepped back behind Rin.

‘’Any better ideas?’’ Maki said, crossing her arms over her chest waiting for another solution from other parties.

Eli silently scrambled in the group. Her eyes were swelling from crying, hands shaking tremendously. The odd expression on her face told nothing, but fear as if paralyzed for the next few days. Hanayo grasped her shaky hand to ease her, Rin patted her back and everyone told what happened to their parents in this abominable journey, and now they were each other’s family.

The blue sky was tinted with orange hues before they could arrive, then suddenly Eli furiously took the crowbar from Hanayo’s hand and ran over the motel without giving any thought. The group’s attention turned to a crowd of walkers that were slamming themselves against the motel entrance.

Eli tightened her grip around the weapon in her hand, her nostrils flared up.

‘’Eli! You’re making noises, it’ll attract them. C’mere, we need to work together to beat them.’’ Umi tried in vain to warn Eli, but she didn’t even take it as an advice.

‘’I’ll be back in a jiff, just watch my back,’’ Eli told them, facing her back to them.

‘’Eli-chan you don’t even know how to use weapons. Please, we can’t accept another death,’’ Hanayo clasped her hands and begged her to stop her tracks, but Eli was blind by the notion of revenge.

Eli enraged upon one of the walkers in front of the gate, hit its head with the crowbar so hard that it became detached from its body. The blood gushed out and splashed on Eli’s face and clothes. She appeared to be furious and mentally deranged when another zombie came to her vision and she brutally slaughtered it along the way, as if she was releasing all her grief for the loss of her sister. Another growl was heard and Eli slammed its head against the wall before it could even open its mouth.

Rin heard the bushes rustling, then a small group of zombies emerged in the sight and roamed toward Eli.

  
‘’Umi-chan, we need to counter attack as soon as possible, otherwise we can’t interfere bigger groups with our number,’’ Rin chimed in and hurled a rock through a window to distract. Some were deflected in the way to wend of the noise.    
  
Umi agreed and gathered her defense materials as she nudged Maki’s sides. They both looked towards Eli, who is screaming mercilessly as she continued to impale the already-beaten zombie on the ground. “Is she going to be okay?” 

Maki nodded. “I’ll try my best to get her to snap out of it. The three of you can go ahead to take out any zombies.” 

Umi, Rin and Hanayo then began to walk out in a group, and Maki took a deep breath as she crossed over to where Eli was. 

“Neh, Eli.” Maki softly whispered, as placed her hand on Eli’s shoulders. The blonde didn’t seem to budge either, and all she could see from the side of Eli’s face was her tear-stained cheek, along with some splatters of blood. 

“Eli, stop.” 

“Eli.”

“Eli!” 

The blonde finally turned around, and now that Maki was up close in front of Eli, she couldn’t actually believe the sight of her. Eli has always been the most charming one out of the bunch with her calm air of authority and wide smile, but with the depressed look on her face that was streaked with blood splatters, it felt like seeing a new different person. 

  
“Eli, you need to get a hold of yourself.” Maki placed her other hand on the other side of Eli, trying to shake her to her senses. 

“I’ve lost everyone. Arisa… Nozomi…” The blonde finally spoke out, in a despondent, monotonous tone. 

Maki sighed, as the thought of loss overcame her mind. Well, she hasn’t exactly lost someone special because of this, but it’s always the uncertainty of where the person was that made her even more worried and upset. Sometimes, she wished Nico could just rely on people a bit, so that she would be here with them, rather than be out there alone, braving the wrecked streets just so she could provide the utmost help for them. 

“You know, Eli. I worry every second about losing Nico-chan too.” 

Eli’s eyes began to widen, as she looked directly at Maki, her lips trembling, as if she was on the verge of saying something. 

“I know she says she will be okay, but I’m still scared of losing her y-you know…” Even in the darkness of the still night, the flush of Maki’s cheeks was still noticeable. “B-but… That’s why I’m just going to stay strong and survive you, rather than jump to rash decisions so that I can see Nico-chan again.” 

“Maki…” Eli began to speak out. Her hands were shaking, as she finally let go of the bloody crowbar she had been gripping on to. She then stared at her hands, and gulped heavily. For a moment, she had become someone that Nozomi would never approve of. She felt heavily nauseated, and fell to her knees limply. 

“Eli!” Maki rushed to her, as she knelt down beside her. 

The blonde cupped her mouth and made a gagging noise, but nothing came out. 

“I-It’s okay…” Eli breathed out, in staccato gasps. “Thank you, Maki.” The blonde placed her hand on Maki’s shoulders, as she let herself up on her feet again. 

“I’m sorry for my outburst.” Eli continued to say. 

“It’s okay.” Maki whispered. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she realised whatever she has said to Eli. “D-Don’t ever tell Nico-chan what I said okay! I-It’s not like… I’m that concerned or anything!” 

Eli had no choice but to let out a chuckle. Her redheaded friend was still the same as usual. “No promises!” She teased. 

“Mou, Eli!” Maki pouted. 

“I’m just joking.” Eli smiled. The moment she did, she tasted a bit of blood on her tongue and let out a face of disgust. 

“Well, we better get you cleaned up first before we join the other three yeah?” Maki stated. 

Just then Maki didn't notice a zombified soldier caught her shoulders pulling toward itself to invade in the dire need. She gasped, and reflexively attacked it with a harsh headbutt in return. The zombie was shaken and rolled aside for a moment, and Maki took this chance to plan a detonation to distract increasing upcoming zombies along the highway. She turned her gaze at Rin, who was deviously grinning now, as if she was delighted in.

‘‘Rin, use your explosive toys for once! Eli and I are going to clean this place. You three prevent them from coming to this place by distraction of any noise,’’ Maki said vehemently, and Hanayo and Rin travelled back to put her risky plan into action right off the bat. 

Maki wasn’t feeling as nimble due to the previous concussion, which temporarily restrained her walking and her will to defend herself. She slouched down, placing her hand over her forehead. The zombified soldier closed the distance in an attempt to bite, but she managed to kick it on the knees to immobilize and left it on the ground. Sucking a huge chunk of air, Maki massaged her forehead to alleviate the headache.  

‘’Ah!’’ 

Eli quickly turned her back to the waspy voice, and watched another zombie swooped down on the defenseless Maki out of her reach. She lost her voice and paralysized for a moment, unable to attack the zombie lurking behind her.

Maki’s skin almost felt the teeth before she was saved by the intervention of an arrow right off the zombie’s head, who led her flee and side Eli. 

‘’Thanks, Umi.’’ 

The two leaned on each other to back up as they fought and defeated many. Maki stopped them and Eli finished with a sharp blow. Umi, hiding in the bushes, killed each zombie without causing any trouble. Relentless and cold before she finished her job by bombarding her arrows here and there. And a bomb exploded in a fury in the opposite direction of the motel. A small group of zombies drifted off to the source of the commotion, giving the soldier game trio more opportunity to mob at every door and clear the places right on time.

* * *

As breathless as they were, the place was finally emptied. Eli sighed in relief, Umi picked up her arrows, Hanayo and Rin came back without getting caught by the zombies, and Maki…

She looked at the zombified soldier on the ground growling and trying to reach its hands to Maki. Maki thought her pre-apocalyptic life; how everything around her was pretty much normal. She had a decent job at her parents’ hospital, she was a good wife of Nico and a successful woman. She was so happy with Nico even though they were always fighting. Suddenly, she felt tears stinging through her eyes, marrying the clarity of her vision. 

“Maki? Are you okay?” Umi had noticed Maki becoming a little distraught, and went over to her, gazing at her in concern. 

“N-Nothing!” Maki quickly shot up, as she rubbed at her eyes. 

“You miss Nico, huh?” Eli’s voice became to chime in, and both Maki and Umi looked up to see the blonde coming to Maki’s side as well.

“I-I don’t! Hmph!” Maki sniffled. 

“Yes, you do.” Eli sighed, somewhat in a silent content. 

“I…” Umi started to speak. “I miss Kotori too.” 

“You two…” Eli stared back at Maki and Umi, who were both longing for their other halves admist this entire apocalyptic chaos. From a close distance, she could also see Rin and Hanayo huddling up against each other, resting up after that huge ordeal. That’s when a thought of ease washed over her mind. The three of them could do it—they could get back to their other halves. They just needed to stay strong, and Eli learned a lot from that. 

“Hey, let’s rest for tonight alright?” Eli suggested. 

“Yeah, I agree. I’m quite tired myself.” Umi agreed, as she carefully settled down her bow and arrow by her side, while relaxing against a tree trunk. 

“I guess it’s safe for now… We could rest.” Maki complied. 

“Then, let’s rest. Goodnight.” Eli sighed, as she stared at the moon in the sky. She wondered,  _ what Nozomi be looking at the same moon that was plastered into the dark sky?  _ Eli smiled to herself, and whispered, “oyasuminasai”. 

\--


	5. Time to Go Shopping?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eli needs a new pair of shoes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lily: hmmmm.... Well.. I've been a bit busy haha it's hard to think these days. I hope you enjoy this chapter nevertheless^°^
> 
> Kim: Second year of Uni has been draining for me as well.... Lily-san definitely pulled through for the sake of both of us this chapter, so hopefully you guys will like it! :D *munches popcorn*

Everyone was in one big room together, abstaining from sudden, involuntary hiving-off due to any possible invasion. They felt content to have reunited after a long time. The youngest persons in the group, Maki, Hanayo and Rin curled up in two-combined single beds and Umi chose to sleep on the couch across the unfunctional television. Eli, on the other hand, used all pillows to litter over her sleeping zone, the floor. Maybe it was accommodating at some point, as the tiredness lingered in the room and everyone slept flat out in their places without even complaining.

It wasn’t felt long as Eli opened her eyes to the crepitating sound outside. She perked up to check and lifted up the curtain that obscured their existence and the dim light inside for the night so that they wouldn’t draw attention to any outsiders. Eli only faced with a bird hovering by the window, as its beak hit it intermittently. It began tweedling as if giving off a cozier setup to make Eli believe yesterday was just a nightmare. She looked at the lovely bird like it wanted to go in. Maybe this was a dream… All dream… She imagined in her head…

[BANG]

Then every thought in her mind came hastily to a halt when an unkempt hand swatted the bird too hard on the window that it was painted crimson red. Eli jolted backwards, her breathing turned ragged. She closed the curtain before that thing could detect her. The tension drained out of her, replaced with concern and dread.

Waking up by the sudden flinch, Umi rubbed her eyes and strode towards her quickly.

‘’Eli, you okay?’’

Eli sucked the air in, an apologetic smile forming on her lips. ‘’I’m sorry. That thing caught me off guard. Fortunately, it didn’t see me.’’

Umi patted her back for reassurance, her tension resolved. ‘’I take that you’re not used to those zombies outside?’’

‘’I’ve been in a coma.’’

‘’For how long?’’

‘’Since the last time we talked on the phone.’’

Umi’s mouth opened like a fish. ‘’That’s…’’

‘’The car tumbled down the cliff. I was hospitalized and taken care of for a while,’’ Eli sadly stated her past condition. The problems of the past few days have taken their toll on her health and there were shadows under her eyes.

Umi looked down, trying to push back the words that had formed in her throat. After a sigh, she decided to tell her, ‘’You’ve been in a coma for two months then, since the virus has spread so quickly in certain, crowded regions like that hospital. I thought living this mess would be condemned to death since I had no hope to live without Kotori, but after finding you alive brings me hope again.’’

Eli’s feelings couldn’t remain dormant as Umi’s hope-filled eyes sparked in encouragement.

‘’So, I’m sure we’ll be able to find our friends and other parts of our lives, Eli.’’

For the first time in a while Eli felt smile curl up to her lips, even if it was a tad just like her hope to find Nozomi. She stood up to set off another plan on the table but fell on all fours as the wound on her foot relentlessly gave her more pain, she wouldn’t be able to endure anymore.

Noticing the red stain come off from that old, ripped shoe, Umi gave her shoulder to keep her balanced and let her sit on the chair. ‘’I’ll take care of the wound. There must be a health kit Rin obtained from the main hall across this room.’’

Umi applied the peroxide on the wound, feeling Eli trembling in pain, yet hardly hearing any jangle. ‘’You know, if you continue you to do reckless things like you did yesterday, you won’t survive a day.’’

‘’I know. It was just… hard to digest everything at one sitting.’’

The silence crept up before Umi touched the wound accidentally while observing it.

‘’You cut it too deep that we may need to stitch it up before it opened again, though not sure how to do that since there is no stitch. Plus, you need a new pair of shoes, even zombies have some fancy ones better than this rag.’’

A flicker of hope flit Eli’s baby blue eyes just for a second. ‘’I remember you said that the mega supermarket is close to this place. Maki said Nico was planning to pay a visit to those places since they are a source of living and there might be a slight chance we can find Noz- everyone, though it’s been a month since she left.’’

_ ‘’Nee Elichi, why don’t we go to the supermarket together? There is no need to do this job separately.’’ _

_ Eli chuckled. ‘’I can’t surprise you at all, can I?’’ _

_ Nozomi turned around, hands linked on her back. She smiled so softly that Eli thought she was under a spell, making her heart flutter in its cage. ‘’I want to spend more time with you. Let’s not separate.’’ _

_ Nozomi stepped forward one by one and then stood in front of Eli. Smiling mischievously, she kissed Eli’s cheek. She dashed off in her spot, leaving Eli in awe. ‘’N-Nozomi, wait!’’ _

_ ‘’You do know where to find me!’’ Nozomi waved a hand and entered the supermarket. _

Eli snapped back from her trance once Umi waved her hand in front of her face. ‘’I know we can’t avoid danger at this point, but we might get a clue how to find them,’’ Eli spluttered, even the gripping tone clearly evident in the air. ‘ _ It’s not the same place as we go but what if she- _ ’

‘’You’re right! First of all, let’s wake them up and find you shoes.’’

“This motel is pretty safe, isn’t it?” Eli noticed, as she saw how Umi was delicately cutting up the barbed wire fences with a sturdy pair of fencing wires. 

“Well, we try to make it safe.” Umi let out a huff after the wires were cut out wide enough for all the girls to pass through.” 

“Umi and I took turns every night to patch the wires back up. Nico first taught us how to do it before she left off to Akihabara.” Maki said. Suddenly, her face became a little crestfallen and wanting to lighten the mood a little, Eli took a deep breath, and made the first step to exit through the hole between the cut up barbed wires. 

“Well,” Eli said, reaching out her hand towards Maki. “I guess there’s a lot for me to learn too.” 

The redhead smiled as she took Eli’s hand, proceeding to step out. The rest of the girls followed and once they were done, Umi patched back the barbed wires. 

“Alright then, let’s go shopping and seize the rest of the day we have to do something useful.” Eli said, hoping to let in some optimistic attitude. 

It didn’t take long for everyone to freshen up a little, and head to the supermarket. It was still a rather early morning, so it was easy to sneak around quickly while the sun was rising, and there weren’t much zombie encounters along the way. They did spot a few from a far, but the girls managed not to direct too much attention to themselves. 

“Wow, this supermarket is pretty run down.” Eli muttered, the moment they found themselves in front of the now-rundown supermarket, its sign torn and tattered. 

“Sugoi nya! There’s so many stuff inside!” Rin was hopping excitedly on her toes. 

“R-Rin-chan… D-Don’t make too much noise…” Hanayo was trying to control the excited orange-haired next to her. 

“Alright, let’s split into two teams. One to get essentials like towels and--” Umi looked towards the mismatched slippers that Eli had on, a dusty one she found back at the motel. “--And shoes for Eli.” Umi then continued, “The other team will get food and water.” 

“I volunteer to get food and water nya!” Rin stuck her hand up in the air. 

“Rin and I will get food and water then.” Umi decided. 

“That's good.” Maki agreed. “I can stock up on any medicinal stuff too with you two.” She nodded, in the direction of Hanayo and Eli. 

“Alright, we’ll meet back here in 30 minutes. If anything happens....” Umi lowered her voice, “you all got your mini weapons with you right?” 

The rest of them nodded, with a confident look plastered on all their faces. 

Within a few minutes, they separated into their groups, as they ventured into the rundown supermarket. 

Maki, Hanayo and Eli immediately located the clothing and shoes aisle, though outfits sold in supermarkets like these weren’t the best. Still, it was something that she needed, and that was the most important essential right now. 

“Eli, take your time to find your right shoe size and how comfortable it will be for you. Hanayo and I will be 2 rows down to get medicine and ointments.” Maki said, as she pointed to the aisle not far from where they were. 

Eli nodded, as she proceeded to look through the shelf with the white canvas shoes. A thought crossed her mind when she scanned the tag for the shoe sizes--the memory of shoe shopping with Nozomi. It was cringey, but she did like how Nozomi and her would pretend to be Cinderella and the prince, where Eli would sit down, as Nozomi knelt before her to try to fit the right shoe to her size. The blonde shook off that thought, and took a deep breath before locating the next shoe.

It wasn’t until she felt a crinkling, plastic noise from behind one of the shoes, which was odd. She leaned in to the shelf, investigating the odd material that made that noise. Once she felt it, she couldn’t believe why that thing could be hidden among the shoes. She pulled it out, and knew she was right--it was a chocolate bar, but not just any chocolate bar. It was her favourite brand of chocolate bar, and Nozomi knew that. Nozomi would melt the chocolate bar to bake her a chocolate cake, she would hide the chocolate bar in a bouquet of flowers, she would take the chocolate bar in her mouth to let Eli eat it from there, to which they should share a sweet, loving kiss, she would--

Eli began to grow a little suspicious. Nobody would ever accidentally put back a chocolate bar in the middle of a shoe section. She began to dug into the shelf further, until her hand felt something else. It was a smooth, curved item, and from the touch of it it felt like the crystal balls her spiritually-driven wife would have at home. She tried to pull it out, but it was oddly resistant, as if it was stuck there. 

“Think, Eli, think…” Eli thought to herself. What would a crystal ball have to do here? Would it give her any clues to this situation in the world? Clues to finding Nozomi? The more she thought, the more her hands rubbed at the crystal ball. 

“Elicchi…” Eli’s eyebrows shot up to her forehead, as she glanced around her. 

However, there was no one around her.

“Hanayo!!!!!!” A loud, piercing scream was heard from near her. It was Maki’s voice that produced that ear-piercing scream. Startled, Eli began to pause what she was doing to see what could have happened. 

Many zombies emerged from the sight where the food section was located. Seemingly, the light bulbs blinking from time to time showed an unprecedented scene Eli wasn’t accustomed to. A purple-haired woman just around her age was eaten alive in front of her eyes and Hanayo drew attention at a short notice. While she was carrying rice bags in her hands, her right leg jammed in the crack on the floor. The half-bodied zombie on the shelf caught her right arm to pull toward itself for a wispy bite and others slowly arose in her back.

Eli, though, felt her breath quickened as if she was suffocating at the unhelpful scene, but the vapid shrieking in her ear snapped her out of her trance, ‘’Tasukete!’’

She put random snickers on, and rouse up to help.

Umi and Rin, who were checking shelves three rows away from the commodity, perked up and ran towards her voice. But on the way, several of zombies blocked their way so Rin jumped at the shelf to detect where Hanayo was. Maki, on the other hand, set up sharp rods on the floor and whistled to call some of them on her way.

Everyone was a quick-witted unlike Eli. She wasn’t used to this atmosphere where her friend was in danger and she was incapable of what to do instantly.  

_ ‘’You’re so smart, Elichi.’’ _

Unbeknownst, her eyes slit over the firework launch tubes right there. She touched it and they weren't wet or any close to damp. If zombies have an eye on mobile and bright things then she could use it against them. 

_ Warning _ _ : PVC Mortar Tubes. Drop a shell in the tube, light fuse and get away. _

Dangerous huh? What else is not anyway? She shrugged. ‘’Anyone have a lighter?’’

Before she could even complain, Maki threw her one and she caught it in the air. 

Hanayo shook her leg trying to find a way to save herself. She threw the rice bags with her left hand in zombies’ faces that only slowed them a tad. Her right hand struggled not to get bit, but the half-bodied zombie plucked at insistently. Rin positioned herself to aim but was interrupted by Umi.

‘’If you shoot it in this closed area, it’ll echo and draw more zombies to her place. It only wastes a bullet, use my bow and arrow and I’ll watch your back right here.’’ Umi said, taking out her knife to take down few zombies behind Rin.

Eli’s hands trembled in sheer fear as she knew the danger in her hands. She breathed heavily.

_ ‘’Let’s light up the mood, Elichi.’’   _

She lined up the pyro tubes in the opposite direction, lighted up every one of them and ran as far as she could even if she had pain in her foot. The tubes have flied over five rows away from them. Eli threw the incendiary liquid in her hand triggered fires to grow more, interacted with wooden objects and shelves on the front.

As most of the zombies turned to the flicker rooted in the furniture, Hanayo slid gratefully and bailed out. Rin reached her hand to grab and helped her. Umi was still dealing with a couple zombies ahead of them, but her energy was draining as her breath quickened.

"Rin, you run away with Hanayo from that way. I'll find another way. The fires scattered to block my way and the zombies don't give me time to climb up."

Rin nodded and gave back Umi's bows and arrows by throwing in the air.

"Meet us outside and don't get bitten nya!" Rin shot a serious look, as they were lost in the smoke rising in the supermarket. 

Maki waiting in the exit got under her armpit to shoulder her. "Eli, help Umi. You can find my satchel in the drugstore across where she is. I'd taken whatever it's needed. Rin will help me."

Maki threw her an axe to defend herself.

"Soon, the fire arises from the roof and will draw zombies here. I'll find a car to get out as soon as possible, so be quick."

Tautness surged within, Eli's vision fogged in the towering fire fighting to scatter over ceiling. For a second, she saw Umi grappled with zombies and the approaching fire at the same time. She wiped off the beading sweat, and finally another idea hit her. She lost the remnants of a normal human being, instead survivor instincts kicked her.

Running to the fishing tools section(which is the only place that hadn't been on fire yet), she grabbed a fish line. 

Between the shelves, she saw Umi's head and three lurching heads towards her, then Umi fell.

Her eyes widened, a whish drummed in her ears and she was unable to hear anything. Her heart sank at the thought of what would've happened. 

"Be quick, Eli!" Umi spluttered. Umi's strained voice had her will to fight rush back to her senses and the whish was long gone.

She set the fish lines between heavy objects. One targeted for the neck and other for the ankle. Rummaging the satchel, she found a flashlight. 

She whistled for the upcoming zombies, flicking on the light to blink several times to get their attention. Soon, the herd, which included many burnt zombies in, ambled towards where Eli was waving her hand and making some noises. 

Umi killed the three zombies on the top of her but hid in the stall covering herself with the zombie corpses as the herd passed by.

"Umi, you run. I know what to do."

"But!"

"No time to argue, GO!"

Umi hurled, her eyes darting Eli's trap. "I'll find a way to save you. Just hold on!"

The groans grew, wobbling towards the thin fish lines pointed at Eli's way. To Eli's worst luck, she knew the blood uncontrollably poured out of her foot, she couldn't even dare to inspect down however.

When searching for a way out from the smokes, she saw a door from the corner. "A stock room?"

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
